The teacher in me is freaking out. July is almost over. Summer is almost half done. Four weeks of summer has already passed, and what do I have to show for it???
Nothing!
Okay, that's not entirely true, but seriously, I had planned on doing so much more.
So, although September means nothing more to me than tomorrow when it comes to daily routine, here's the list of stuff I'd like to accomplish before Labour Day hits:
Scavenger Hunt Cards
Blanket
ABC Board
A Bored Board
Plus, there's this rusty, nasty vinyl chair sitting in my parent's garage, which mom has said I can have if I recover it. And, I am searching for the perfect piece of furniture at a garage sale to make a play kitchen for Eli. There's the picnic quilt I need to quilt, and the afghan I need to finish for Sarah...
Okay, realistically, there is no way I'm going to get this all done before September, but I've never been harmed by setting my expectations high.
23 July 2010
22 July 2010
Spreading the Crafting Joys
Adrienne is throwing a baby shower for a friend tomorrow night. She already gave her a Moby Wrap, so didn't need to get her anything extravagant, but did want to give her something at the shower. In steps Jenny, crafty and cheap. Just what Adrienne needed.
So, my best friend, the cowgirl/firefighter sat in front of a sewing machine for the first time since junior high and made the cutest receiving blanket and burp cloth. I bought the fabric at Joanne's on sale, so the whole thing cost only $5. Who could complain about that. I threw in a cute little hat, and I'm pretty sure it will be the best present of all!
Yup, those are skulls. I never thought I would, but I love skulls. I would dress my boys in skulls every day if I could. Get over it.
I bought enough fabric for two sets, and made one myself. Now I just need a friend to have a baby so I can give it away. Or maybe I need to have a baby... no, 9 months is too long to wait for this to be enjoyed. So cute.
So, my best friend, the cowgirl/firefighter sat in front of a sewing machine for the first time since junior high and made the cutest receiving blanket and burp cloth. I bought the fabric at Joanne's on sale, so the whole thing cost only $5. Who could complain about that. I threw in a cute little hat, and I'm pretty sure it will be the best present of all!
I bought enough fabric for two sets, and made one myself. Now I just need a friend to have a baby so I can give it away. Or maybe I need to have a baby... no, 9 months is too long to wait for this to be enjoyed. So cute.
The Worst Two Months of My LIFE!!!
I have a friend, Coreen
, who has six children. She is amazing to me for so many reasons. She is an incredible mother, a devoted friend, a spiritual giant and an inspiration. Due to the wonderful housing market in the US right now, her husband has been finishing his residency in Pontiac, Mi. for the last 10 months, and she has been living with their 6 children in Tennessee. I've always thought she was amazing, but having just spent the last two months with Jared in Spokane and me on my own in Calgary, I am in complete awe of her. Honestly. I am so sick of being a single mom, and can't wait until Jared is back with me. I can't imagine how single mothers survive day after day, week after week, month after month, and for some, year after year! I see why Heavenly Father created us to procreate in pairs, because doing it alone is really, really hard (the raising the creations, not the procreating itself- although that would be really hard too.)
The past two months has given me a lot of time to consider just why I am so lucky to have Jared in my life, and why I love him so much. So, here's to him:
It started a long time ago, before the idea of kids even crossed my mind. I thought you were crazy, and funny, and kind of liked you. We dated. I was right, you were crazy and funny, and not ready for commitment, so I dumped you, and then I realized I loved you.
So, you said you wanted to get serious, move to Kelowna, and asked if I would come with you, as your wife. Then you decided that Kelowna wasn't for you, and dropping out of university wasn't the best idea. You stood faithfully by me through our crazy 3 month engagement with all the emotion involved there. You supported me wholly through the worst teaching year ever when I worked for the crazy feminist, and we made it wonderfully through our first year.
When we decided to multiply you came to every one of my prenatals. You supported my decision to hire midwives, even though they were expensive, and have a homebirth, even though it was so strange to you, knowing that although I was having our baby, it was my body and my experience, and so you researched and learned, and you were there when it all fell to pieces and I needed you most.
You didn't want to leave Calgary, but you knew it's what you needed to do to "pay for the family" so you packed up the house and drove across the continent. You suffered through 3 years of Law School. You spent countless nights reading, typing, studying. You worked harder than you've ever worked before to finish school.
You have trusted your instincts, and mine, as we have learned how to parent. You have embraced the gentle parenting approach that we try to live by. When I bring information to you about health or parenting, you strive to understand it and then wholeheartedly go for it. You are my biggest supporter when it comes to some of the things I do that others don't understand.
When we made another baby, you drove me to all my prenatals across the border, you again understood my desire for an empowered birth, and so you supported me in hiring midwives again, which was still expensive, and have a "hotelbirth," as we had no home. And again, when plans changed, you were there to hold me up when everything around me was falling down.
You have used the power of the Priesthood, which you are worthy to hold, to bless me and our sons countless times. You read the scriptures to them and teach them how to pray. You show them how to be a good man and a wonderful father.
You continue to work hard, knowing that the adventure isn't quite over. You are willing to live alone for two months to study for the hardest test yet. You call me every night to tell me you love me and wish you were here. You say prayers with Eli over the phone, and tell him you love him too.
I love you so much. I am so glad that you stole me away from that boy. I love that you love me, and can't wait to be with you again!
, who has six children. She is amazing to me for so many reasons. She is an incredible mother, a devoted friend, a spiritual giant and an inspiration. Due to the wonderful housing market in the US right now, her husband has been finishing his residency in Pontiac, Mi. for the last 10 months, and she has been living with their 6 children in Tennessee. I've always thought she was amazing, but having just spent the last two months with Jared in Spokane and me on my own in Calgary, I am in complete awe of her. Honestly. I am so sick of being a single mom, and can't wait until Jared is back with me. I can't imagine how single mothers survive day after day, week after week, month after month, and for some, year after year! I see why Heavenly Father created us to procreate in pairs, because doing it alone is really, really hard (the raising the creations, not the procreating itself- although that would be really hard too.)The past two months has given me a lot of time to consider just why I am so lucky to have Jared in my life, and why I love him so much. So, here's to him:
It started a long time ago, before the idea of kids even crossed my mind. I thought you were crazy, and funny, and kind of liked you. We dated. I was right, you were crazy and funny, and not ready for commitment, so I dumped you, and then I realized I loved you.
So, you said you wanted to get serious, move to Kelowna, and asked if I would come with you, as your wife. Then you decided that Kelowna wasn't for you, and dropping out of university wasn't the best idea. You stood faithfully by me through our crazy 3 month engagement with all the emotion involved there. You supported me wholly through the worst teaching year ever when I worked for the crazy feminist, and we made it wonderfully through our first year.
When we decided to multiply you came to every one of my prenatals. You supported my decision to hire midwives, even though they were expensive, and have a homebirth, even though it was so strange to you, knowing that although I was having our baby, it was my body and my experience, and so you researched and learned, and you were there when it all fell to pieces and I needed you most.
You didn't want to leave Calgary, but you knew it's what you needed to do to "pay for the family" so you packed up the house and drove across the continent. You suffered through 3 years of Law School. You spent countless nights reading, typing, studying. You worked harder than you've ever worked before to finish school.
You have trusted your instincts, and mine, as we have learned how to parent. You have embraced the gentle parenting approach that we try to live by. When I bring information to you about health or parenting, you strive to understand it and then wholeheartedly go for it. You are my biggest supporter when it comes to some of the things I do that others don't understand.
When we made another baby, you drove me to all my prenatals across the border, you again understood my desire for an empowered birth, and so you supported me in hiring midwives again, which was still expensive, and have a "hotelbirth," as we had no home. And again, when plans changed, you were there to hold me up when everything around me was falling down.
You have used the power of the Priesthood, which you are worthy to hold, to bless me and our sons countless times. You read the scriptures to them and teach them how to pray. You show them how to be a good man and a wonderful father.
You continue to work hard, knowing that the adventure isn't quite over. You are willing to live alone for two months to study for the hardest test yet. You call me every night to tell me you love me and wish you were here. You say prayers with Eli over the phone, and tell him you love him too.
I love you so much. I am so glad that you stole me away from that boy. I love that you love me, and can't wait to be with you again!
18 July 2010
A History Lesson
I had to do some digging in the dark recesses of my computer, but I found what I was looking for: a speech that Chloe wrote about the history of The Calgary Stampede. Why is Chloe's speech on my computer you may ask? Well, because I love writing essays, and I love the Stampede, and so this speech was a little more of a collaboration then maybe it should have been - not unlike all of the research papers she and Holly had to write in junior high because they opted out of sex ed. Don't worry, I worked with their teacher years later who said he felt like he had taught me because he had read so many of my essays - good guy. (Poor Phoebe got shafted - it just didn't seem right to do her homework for her when I was her teacher.)
Anyway, back to the speech on the Stampede. With all the Stampeding going on this week, I thought it was fun to brush up on my history and thought some of you might think so too. Here it is:
Calgary Stampede
In 1912 when American Wild West performer Guy Weadick and his trick riding wife, Flores LaDue came to Calgary, they didn’t know the profound affect that Weadick would have on the city and the western heritage surrounding it. Weadick saw the city of Calgary, with Western roots as deep as any Canadian City, and saw an opportunity. He envisioned the biggest "frontier days show the world has ever seen... hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls, thousands of natives. We’ll have Mexican ropers and riders... We’ll make Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Extravaganza look like a slide show." With that vision he approached the General Manager of the Calgary Industrial Exhibition, a yearly Industrial fair held in Calgary. E.L Richardson agreed to let Weadick rent the Exhibition’s land, 94 acres previously purchased from the Dominion government, for his Wild West show. Weadick then contacted some of the richest ranchers in the area, the men now referred to as "The Big 4": George Lane, AE Cross, AJ McLean and Patrick Burns, and asked them to each finance his dream with twenty five thousand dollars. With a hundred thousand dollars in hand, Guy Weadick went about to create what is now indisputably "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth:" The Calgary Stampede!
Today the Calgary Stampede is best known for the many performers it brings, the midway, the mini-doughnuts and the cheesy western outfits, but at its birth the Calgary Stampede was the biggest rodeo and Wild West show in North America. With rodeo prize money at twenty thousand dollars the rodeo brought competitors from all over Canada and the United States. That very first year over one hundred thousand spectators came to see what Guy Weadick put together, cementing the Calgary Stampede into history.
But financing was not Weadick’s only stumbling block. What he had envisioned was even far greater than just cowboys and horses. Women played a significant role in the first Stampede with trick riding, relay races, riding bucking horses and steer roping. He wanted all aspects of the Wild West, including the natives. However, at this time in history the Natives were severely restricted. They were not allowed off the reserves without government permit. They were not allowed to live in Teepees or wear traditional clothing. They were not allowed to speak their traditional languages. Weadick invited them to come to the Stampede, but the Indian Agents would not give them permits. Undaunted, Guy Weadick travelled to Ottawa to ask permission for the Natives to participate in the 1912 Stampede. Permission was granted, but the Natives were told that they could not bring their Teepees and traditional clothing and that they could only speak English. While history is unclear if these restrictions were ever officially changed, Guy Weadick sent the message for the natives to come with their Teepees and not to worry about the Indian Agents. 1912 began one of the most prominent traditions of the Calgary Stampede, the Indian Village, a tradition which has continued ever since. The Stampede offered the Natives a time to connect with different tribes, to teach their young the traditional ways and to showcase their culture to the world. Today there are 27 teepees at the Calgary Stampede representing the five major tribes of Alberta. The Natives still remember Guy Weadick for his role in preserving their culture.
In 1912 Weadick included already popular rodeo events, including saddle bronc and calf roping. After dark the infield was lighted with the headlights of cars. Tom Three Persons, Albertan Native from the Blood Tribe, won the Bronc event by riding the previously unridden bronc, Cyclone, taking home one thousand dollars and a fine saddle. He was not only the only Native to win prize money that first year, but the only Canadian. The rodeo has remained one of the highlights of the Calgary Stampede.
In 1923 the organizers of the Calgary Industrial Exhibition saw the Stampede as a much needed novelty to bring life back into their sinking venture. Agreeing to combine the two events, Weadick sought out a new and exciting idea to entice spectators to come to Calgary, and thus the Chuckwagon race was born.
Stories about the origin of the Chuckwagon race vary. Some maintain that it was common for wagon races to be held on the open range. Others believe that during the land rushes of the nineteenth century settlers would race their wagons to the prized pieces of land to claim. Weadick claimed that he got the idea from his own experiences on the range when, after a cattle round up the cowboys would race the chuck wagons for the last half mile to the nearest bar in town: the crew that rolled in last would be stuck buying the winners a round of drinks. However the idea came about, in 1923 Weadick instituted the notorious, sometimes deadly and always thrilling "Half Mile of Hell": the Chuckwagon race. This gave the Exhibition the energy it needed to get out of the red and began the now familiar Calgary Exhibition and Stampede with rodeo and agriculture exhibits combined.
For twenty years Guy Weadick ran the Calgary Stampede, returning in 1952 to ride in the Stampede parade, one year before he passed away. Today his legend still lives on as strong as when he began it. The Stampede Grounds now cover over 193 acres of prime real estate. In 2007 well over one million two hundred fifty thousand people attended the Stampede, one million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars were awarded at the rodeo and one million eight hundred forty four thousand two hundred eighty six mini donuts were eaten. The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede remains a non-profit event, preserving the culture that Guy Weadick so loved, bringing together cowboys, cowgirls, First Nations and spectators from all over the world for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth!
Anyway, back to the speech on the Stampede. With all the Stampeding going on this week, I thought it was fun to brush up on my history and thought some of you might think so too. Here it is:
Calgary Stampede
In 1912 when American Wild West performer Guy Weadick and his trick riding wife, Flores LaDue came to Calgary, they didn’t know the profound affect that Weadick would have on the city and the western heritage surrounding it. Weadick saw the city of Calgary, with Western roots as deep as any Canadian City, and saw an opportunity. He envisioned the biggest "frontier days show the world has ever seen... hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls, thousands of natives. We’ll have Mexican ropers and riders... We’ll make Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Extravaganza look like a slide show." With that vision he approached the General Manager of the Calgary Industrial Exhibition, a yearly Industrial fair held in Calgary. E.L Richardson agreed to let Weadick rent the Exhibition’s land, 94 acres previously purchased from the Dominion government, for his Wild West show. Weadick then contacted some of the richest ranchers in the area, the men now referred to as "The Big 4": George Lane, AE Cross, AJ McLean and Patrick Burns, and asked them to each finance his dream with twenty five thousand dollars. With a hundred thousand dollars in hand, Guy Weadick went about to create what is now indisputably "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth:" The Calgary Stampede!
Today the Calgary Stampede is best known for the many performers it brings, the midway, the mini-doughnuts and the cheesy western outfits, but at its birth the Calgary Stampede was the biggest rodeo and Wild West show in North America. With rodeo prize money at twenty thousand dollars the rodeo brought competitors from all over Canada and the United States. That very first year over one hundred thousand spectators came to see what Guy Weadick put together, cementing the Calgary Stampede into history.
But financing was not Weadick’s only stumbling block. What he had envisioned was even far greater than just cowboys and horses. Women played a significant role in the first Stampede with trick riding, relay races, riding bucking horses and steer roping. He wanted all aspects of the Wild West, including the natives. However, at this time in history the Natives were severely restricted. They were not allowed off the reserves without government permit. They were not allowed to live in Teepees or wear traditional clothing. They were not allowed to speak their traditional languages. Weadick invited them to come to the Stampede, but the Indian Agents would not give them permits. Undaunted, Guy Weadick travelled to Ottawa to ask permission for the Natives to participate in the 1912 Stampede. Permission was granted, but the Natives were told that they could not bring their Teepees and traditional clothing and that they could only speak English. While history is unclear if these restrictions were ever officially changed, Guy Weadick sent the message for the natives to come with their Teepees and not to worry about the Indian Agents. 1912 began one of the most prominent traditions of the Calgary Stampede, the Indian Village, a tradition which has continued ever since. The Stampede offered the Natives a time to connect with different tribes, to teach their young the traditional ways and to showcase their culture to the world. Today there are 27 teepees at the Calgary Stampede representing the five major tribes of Alberta. The Natives still remember Guy Weadick for his role in preserving their culture.
In 1912 Weadick included already popular rodeo events, including saddle bronc and calf roping. After dark the infield was lighted with the headlights of cars. Tom Three Persons, Albertan Native from the Blood Tribe, won the Bronc event by riding the previously unridden bronc, Cyclone, taking home one thousand dollars and a fine saddle. He was not only the only Native to win prize money that first year, but the only Canadian. The rodeo has remained one of the highlights of the Calgary Stampede.
In 1923 the organizers of the Calgary Industrial Exhibition saw the Stampede as a much needed novelty to bring life back into their sinking venture. Agreeing to combine the two events, Weadick sought out a new and exciting idea to entice spectators to come to Calgary, and thus the Chuckwagon race was born.
Stories about the origin of the Chuckwagon race vary. Some maintain that it was common for wagon races to be held on the open range. Others believe that during the land rushes of the nineteenth century settlers would race their wagons to the prized pieces of land to claim. Weadick claimed that he got the idea from his own experiences on the range when, after a cattle round up the cowboys would race the chuck wagons for the last half mile to the nearest bar in town: the crew that rolled in last would be stuck buying the winners a round of drinks. However the idea came about, in 1923 Weadick instituted the notorious, sometimes deadly and always thrilling "Half Mile of Hell": the Chuckwagon race. This gave the Exhibition the energy it needed to get out of the red and began the now familiar Calgary Exhibition and Stampede with rodeo and agriculture exhibits combined.
For twenty years Guy Weadick ran the Calgary Stampede, returning in 1952 to ride in the Stampede parade, one year before he passed away. Today his legend still lives on as strong as when he began it. The Stampede Grounds now cover over 193 acres of prime real estate. In 2007 well over one million two hundred fifty thousand people attended the Stampede, one million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars were awarded at the rodeo and one million eight hundred forty four thousand two hundred eighty six mini donuts were eaten. The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede remains a non-profit event, preserving the culture that Guy Weadick so loved, bringing together cowboys, cowgirls, First Nations and spectators from all over the world for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth!
The Greatest Outdoor Show on EARTH!
Years ago I was part of the action.
This week I took Eli back to see Auntie Adrienne ride in the rodeo. He was so excited to see the lassos, although he kept calling the entire thing a "radio," not a rodeo.
I don't love the midway, I don't love the crowds, I don't love the drunkenness, but I sure as heck love the rodeo and the excuse I have to be a cowgirl once a year!
Homesick
"Where thou art - that - is Home." ~Emily Dickinson
I'm feeling sorry for myself today. I'm homesick for a home that isn't mine any more, and a life that will never be again. Depressing, eh?
They say you can never go home again, and I think I've learned that's true. I couldn't be closer to home, living in my parents' basement and all, but some days it just feels all wrong. When we left Calgary we were sad. We didn`t want to go, to leave our families and our friends, our house and our comforts. What we didn`t know is that we`d find all that, and more, in Michigan, and today I`m really missing that. I`m missing play dates, and zoo dates, deal shopping and comfort shopping. I`m missing a ward where people talked to me and invited us over for dinner. I`m missing walks in the park and backyard parties. I`m missing friends that I could call and cry on their shoulder whenever I needed it, and friends that need me too.
Don`t get me wrong, I love being back. I love being close to family. I love that Eli can actually name his cousins, that he knows his Aunties and Uncles, that he recognizes the COP ski jumps as `Andy`s House.` I love that my parents have welcomed us with open arms, allowing us to live in their basement, eat their food, and otherwise impose. I love so much about Calgary, I just have yet to find my niche.
I left with a 10-week-old baby, and have returned with two kids. Life is different, and I haven`t found how to enjoy Calgary with two kids. First goal: I need friends. Mommy friends. Mommy friends that I can play with, and my boys can play with their kids. Second goal: find time to do the things I love. I`ve been so busy since we got back I`ve hardly done anything I love to do. Horseback riding is WAY hard with two kids to worry about, but I`ve got to find a way to get it in. I`ve got to renew my efforts to create with Eli, to get out every day, and to give more than I receive.
I miss Michigan and the life we had there every day. I know I can never recreate that life, and that I probably I just need to get over it, but for today I am sad, and that`s just the way it is.
04 July 2010
Just me and Mr. Hookity Hook
I go through waves of crafting. Last week I was having a serious love affair with Mod Podge. A few weeks ago it was sewing the aprons. I pulled out three different quilts I want to make next week from my storage unit yesterday. The past few days, however, I've been quite enamored by my good friend, the crochet hook (the needles haven't been neglected either, I assure you.) I've tried a few new patterns, and fallen in love with a few.
This is my new favourite hat pattern. I made the first one last week for Adrienne, for her birthday, which was 7 months ago. I made another for my cousin Lindsay's new baby Ivy. I was super lame and didn't get a chance to sew the flower on, but she lives in Fort McMurray, and rather than not getting it to her until next Canada Day, I gave it to her to finish on her own. (Lindsay, send me a picture of your sweet Ivy wearing it once it fits her!) This newest one I LOVE LOVE LOVE! The colours are perfect. I might just have to keep this one for myself (shocking, really.)
I love the rose as much as I love the hat. It is huge, and super easy to crochet.
Chloe is a beautiful model. This little headband is so quick to make, and you can put any kind of flower on it you want. It looks terrible on me, but I love it, so I've made a few, and keep giving them away.
Just pretend it is actually winter and Chloe needs to be wearing Mom's winter parka, and those pine trees behind her are covered in snow. Cute ear warmer, eh?
And, with the excess yarn, another newborn hat. I need to know more pregnant ladies, or maybe another blog giveaway!
This is my new favourite hat pattern. I made the first one last week for Adrienne, for her birthday, which was 7 months ago. I made another for my cousin Lindsay's new baby Ivy. I was super lame and didn't get a chance to sew the flower on, but she lives in Fort McMurray, and rather than not getting it to her until next Canada Day, I gave it to her to finish on her own. (Lindsay, send me a picture of your sweet Ivy wearing it once it fits her!) This newest one I LOVE LOVE LOVE! The colours are perfect. I might just have to keep this one for myself (shocking, really.)
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